Facial animating means for a figure toy



Oct. 22, 1968 J, w, RYAN ET AL FACIAL ANIMATING MEANS FOR A FIGURE TOYFiled Dec. 6, 1966 5 1 W? M a. W? N? 1% United States Patent 3,406,482FACIAL ANIMATING MEANS FOR A FIGURE TOY John W. Ryan, Bel Air, andRobert Lynn Cowell, Manhattan Beach, Calif., assignors to Mattel, Inc.,Hawthorne, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Dec. 6, 1966, Ser.No. 599,570 4 Claims. (Cl. 46-247) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Reciprocalarms are connected to the flexible checks of a doll to flex them insimulation of a nursing action. The arms are carried by the bightportion of a U-shaped member slidably mounted on a rotatable shaft whichcarries a cam operatively associated with said arms for reciprocatingthem'when the shaft is rotated by an electric motor.

BACKGRGUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present inventionrelates to facial animating means for a figure toy and more particularlyto means for ani mating the cheeks and mouth of a doll to simulatenursing actions.

Description of the prior art Although a number of prior art nursingdolls are available, they do have certain disadvantages.

One disadvantage resides in the fact that the mecha nism for simulatingnursing is complicated and comparatively expensive.

Another disadvantage resides in the fact that the nursing mechanisms donot impart realistic facial changes to the doll during simulated nursingactivities.

Yet another disadvantage resides in the fact that the mechanism forsimulating nursing is sometimes diflicult to operate by a child user ofthe doll.

Summary of the invention In view of the foregoing factors and conditionscharacteristic of nursing dolls, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a new and useful facial animating means not subjectto the disadvantages enumer ated above and having structurally-durable,cheek-actuating means especially designed for simulating nursingactivities in a doll efficiently, safely and expeditiously.

Another object of the present invention is to provide new and usefuldrive means for driving the checks of a doll on a predetermined cyclecausing the cheeks to transmit flexing movements to the dolls lips,whereby the facial movements of the doll simulate nursing activities.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, in combinationwith a figure toy including a flexible face portion defining cheek meansand mouth means having upper and lower lip means, animating meanscomprising cheek engaging means engageable with the cheek means anddrive means connected to the cheek engaging means for moving the cheekengaging means on a predetermined cycle, whereby the cheek means willtransmit flexing movements to said lips.

According to the present invention, a figure toy, in the form of a doll,is provided with a flexible face of which a portion includes a pair ofcheeks and a mouth having upper and lower lips joined together by aninwardly extending bulb. The cheeks are animated in such a manner thatthe cheeks and the lips are moved in simulated, baby nursing fashion. Acheek engaging means is connected to each cheek and a drive means isconnected to the engaging means for moving the cheeks on a predeterminedcycle causing the cheeks to transmit flexing movements to the lips.

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The drive means includes a shaft rotatably mounted in the doll head. AU-shaped drive member has its bight portion reciprocably mounted on theshaft and its arms extending into engagement with the cheek engagingmeans so that, upon reciprocation of the bight portion upon the shaft,the cheeks will be moved on the predetermined cycle. A drive gear isaffixed to the shaft for rotating it through the medium of a worm gearprovided on an electric motor, which may also be mounted in the dollhead. A cam is fixed on the shaft for rotation therewith between thearms of the U-shaped member in operative association with the arms. Thecam is so shaped, and coacts with these arms in such a manner that,rotation thereof reciprocates the U-shaped member on the shaft.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to likeelements in the several views.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a front elevational viewof a figure toy of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, front elevational view of the head portion ofthe figure toy shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along line44 of FIG. 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing somewhat schematically ananimating means of the present invention in combination with the figuretoy of FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring again to the drawings,a figure toy constituting a presently preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, generally designated 10, is shown for purposes ofillustration but not of limitation as comprising a doll having a head12, a body portion 14, a pair of legs 16, and a pair of arms 18.

The head 12 is preferably molded from a soft, flexible material, such asplastisol, and includes a chin 20', a left cheek 22, a right check 24, anose 26 and a mouth 28.

The mouth 28 includes an upper lip 30 and a lower lip 32 which arejoined together by an inwardly extending wall member 34 having anipple-receiving aperture 36 provided therein.

The cheeks 22, 24, the lips 30, 32 and the wall member 34 are formedcontinuously so that flexing movements of the cheeks 24, 22 will betransmitted to the lips 30, 32, in a manner to be hereinafter described.

The cheeks 24, 22 are animated on a predetermined cycle by an animatingmeans 38 which is mounted in the head 12. The animating means 38includes a rotata'ble shaft 40 having a first end 42 rotatably receivedin a bearing 44 provided on the rear wall 46 of the head 12 and a frontend 48 rotatably received in a bearing block 50 which is supportedwithin the head 12. The shaft 40 is rotated by a drive gear 52 which isaffixed thereto and which is driven by an electric motor 54 affixed tothe side wall portion 56 of the head 12 by a flange 58. The motor 54includes an output shaft 60 having a worm gear 62 aflixed thereto indriving engagement with the gear 52.

The animating means 38 also includes a drive means 64 comprising asubstantially U-shaped member 65 having a bight portion 66 and parallel,spaced-apart arms 68, 70. The bight portion 66 is provided with anaperture 72 for reciprocably mounting the drive means 64 on 3 the shaft40 and each arm 68, 70 is provided with an angular end 74 adjacent anassociated cheek 24, 22. A connecting means 76 is secured to anassociated cheek 24, 22 by a pad 78 and to an associated end 74 byfrictionally engaging an aperture 80 provided therein.

The drive means 64 includes a motion transmitting means 81 forreciprocating the U-sha-ped member 65 on the shaft 40. The motiontransmitting means 81 includes a cam means 82 which is aflixed to theshaft 40 by a hub member 84 and which has a convoluted portion 86 cagedbetween a pair of pins 88, 90 extending inwardly from associated arms68, 70. The cam means 82 is so shaped that each rotation thereof by theshaft 40 moves the outer periphery 92 of the convoluted portion 86 fromthe solid line position to the broken line position shown in FIG. 4,whereby a predetermined amount of lateral displacement takes place, asindicated. This displacement moves the drive means 64 in a reciprocatingmanner as indicated by arrow 94 in FIG. 4. Thus, the drive means 64 isreciprocated on a predetermined cycle by the cam means 82 moving thecheeks 24, 22 in such a manner that the cheeks simulate nursing actionby the doll due to the flexing movements thereof. These flexingmovements are transmitted to the lips 30, 32 in such a manner that theyare flexed on a simulated nursing cycle.

The doll is provided with a nursing bottle means 96 which may bepositioned in the aperture 36 in the mouth 28 to heighten the realism ofthe simulated nurs ing action.

The electric motor 54 is provided with electrical leads 98, 100 forconnecting it to a suitable source of electrical current, not shown,through a switch 102. The switch 102 has a blade 104 positioned behindthe aperture 36 and a contact 106 engageable by the blade 104 forcompleting a circuit through the leads 98, 100. The nursing bottle means96 includes a simulated nursing bottle 108 (FIG. 1) having a nipple 110which may be positioned in the aperture 36 to move the blade 104 intoengagement with the contact 106.

The facial animating means herein shown and described is of the typeshown and described in copending application Ser. No. 599,568, filedDec. 6, 1966.

While the particular figure toy herein shown and described in detail isfully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantageshereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merelyillustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the presentinvention and that no limitations are intended to the details ofconstruction or design herein shown other than as defined in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a figure toy, the combination comprising: a flexible, unsupportedforwardly facing face portion defining unitary cheek means and mouthmeans; rearward- Iy extending arm means; cheek engaging means; said armmeans being connected to said cheek engaging means and being mountedonly for reciprocation forwardly and rearwardly', drive means comprisinga'rotary shaft substantially parallel to said arm means; cam meansafiixed to said shaft for rotation therewith and being connected to saidarm means and so shaped that rotation thereof causes forward andrearward reciprocatiotn of said arm means; and operting means foroperating said drive means whereby said cheek means will be flexed andtransmit realistic nursing movements to said mouth means.

2. A combination as stated in claim 1 wherein said operating meansincludes gear means aflixed to said shaft means and electric motor meansconnected to said gear means for rotating said .gear means and saidshaft means.

3. A combination as stated in claim 2 wherein said mouth means includesan upper lip, a lower lip and wall means connecting said lips together,said wall means having an aperture provided therein, and wherein saidoperating means also includes an electrical switch mounted in said toyadjacent said aperture, a simulated nursing bottle, said switch beingconnected to said motor means and being engageable by said bottle whenit is inserted in said aperture, for energizing said motor means.

4. A combination as stated in claim 1 wherein said cheek means comprisestwo cheeks, said connecting means is provided with an aperture forslidably mounting said arm means on said shaft means, said arm meanscomprises an arm for each cheek and said cheek engaging means includespin means extending rearwardly and inwardly from each cheek to anassociated arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 19,657 7/ 1935 Bowers 46-1352,711,603 6/1955 Seidl 46-135 3,229,421 1/ 1966 'Ostrander 46-247FOREIGN PATENTS 448,596 6/1936 Great Britain. 537,366 2/ 1957 Canada.

RICHARD C. PINKI-LAM, Primary Examiner.

T. ZACK, Assistant Examiner.

